Tag Archives: price ratios

Setting buyer expectations in a seller’s market in Kansas City can save you time, money and frustrations!

Seemingly overnight we have transitioned from a buyer’s market (more than six months of inventory) to a seller’s market (less than 6 months inventory) in Kansas City. Naturally there is some lag between when the news passes this info along. So right now, we have real live buyers in the field, still looking to get that deal of a lifetime, and they are coming up on homes that are going under contract in less than a week, multiple offers and oftentimes now going under contract for more than list price. If you are not ahead of this shift, and setting your buyer’s expectations about the market ahead of time, you could be setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment.

So how do you set buyer expectations in a seller’s market?

In short, data. You should have the ability to pull up market statistics in your local MLS that can show you average list to sales price ratios over a period of time. In the Heartland MLS that report is called the “Market Conditions Addendum” and does a nice job of compiling the data in a very easy format. Let’s be real, all the data in the world doesn’t mean diddly if you can’t interpret it and relay the info to your buyers in a way that they will understand.

So what if your buyers still think that they can go out and steal a property?

So if you have tried to set your buyers expectations by showing them the data that shows them that we are in a seller’s market here in Kansas City or wherever you are, then sometimes losing out on a property is the only remedy. We are the agent of our client. We can provide advice and consult to the best of our knowledge, if your client still wants to lob in an offer then as a fiduciary you have to do it. Just make sure to let them know that they could be losing out on their perfect home, while someone else comes in on top of this offer and takes it.

Ok, great Mat, we hear you, but how can I set my buyer’s expectations in this Seller’s Market?

Simple. Scripts.

List Price to Sales Price
The average list price in (____________) is (__________) but the average sales price is
(__________). That means that sellers are coming down approximately (__________
dollars). The reason I share this information is that I would prefer to turn you down now,
rather than disappoint you later, if you think you could offer $25,000 less than the list price
and actually expect to get it.
So let me ask you a very direct question. If we found you the perfect home and the seller
is only willing to come down about (_________ dollars) how would you feel about that?